Wheat-leaf rope orchid
Bulbophyllum shepherdii in the Bomaderry Creek Reserve
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Genus: Bulbophyllum
Species:
B. shepherdii
Binomial name
Bulbophyllum shepherdii
Synonyms[1]
  • Dendrobium shepherdii F.Muell.
  • Phyllorkis shepherdii (F.Muell.) Kuntze
  • Oxysepala shepherdii (F.Muell.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.
  • Dendrobium crassulifolium A.Cunn.
  • Dendrobium shepherdii var. platyphyllum F.Muell.
  • Bulbophyllum crassulifolium (A.Cunn.) Rupp

Bulbophyllum shepherdii, commonly known as the wheat-leaf rope orchid,[2] is a species of epiphytic or lithophytic orchid that forms a dense mat of branching rhizomes pressed against the surface on which it grows. The pseudobulbs are well spaced along the rhizome, each with a single egg-shaped leaf and a single small, white or cream-coloured flower with yellow tips. It grows on trees and rocks in rainforest and is endemic to eastern Australia.

Description

Bulbophyllum shepherdii is an epiphytic or lithophytic herb with branching rhizomes forming a dense mat on the substrate. The pseudobulbs are more or less spherical but flattened 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) in diameter separated by 2–9 mm (0.08–0.4 in). Each pseudobulb has a grooved, stalkless, elliptic to egg-shaped leaf 20–40 mm (0.8–2 in) long and 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) wide with a channelled upper surface. A single white or cream-coloured flower with yellow tips, 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.12 in) wide is borne on a flowering stem 5–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long. The flowers do not open widely. The sepals and petals are fleshy, the sepals 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long, about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide and the petals about 2 mm (0.08 in) long and 1.5 mm (0.06 in) wide. The labellum is reddish brown, about 2 mm (0.08 in) long and 1 mm (0.04 in) wide with smooth edges and a sharp bend near the middle. Flowering occurs from March to August.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

The wheat-leaf rope orchid was first formally described in 1859 by Ferdinand von Mueller who published the description in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae from a specimen collected by T.W. Shepherd.[4][5] In 1870 Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach changed the name to Bulbophyllum shepherdii.[6] The specific epithet (shepherdii) honours Thomas William Shepherd who collected the type specimen.[7]

Distribution and habitat

Bulbophyllum shepherdii grows on trees and rocks in rainforest and wet forest between Nambour in Queensland and Bega in New South Wales.[2][3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Bulbophyllum shepherdii". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. 1 2 3 Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. pp. 429–430. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. 1 2 "Bulbophyllum shepherdii". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  4. ↑ "Dendrobium shepherdii". APNI. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  5. ↑ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1859). Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae (Volume 1). Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. pp. 190–191. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  6. ↑ "Bulbophyllum shepherdii". APNI. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  7. ↑ "Shepherd, Thomas William (1824 - 1884)". Australian National Botanic Garden. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
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